Alejandro Bedoya Signs With Philadelphia Union

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 16: Alejandro Bedoya #11 of United Statesduring the Copa America Centenario Quarterfinal match between United States and Ecuador at CenturyLink Field on June 16, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. The United States won the match 2-0. (Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, we highlighted Alejandro Bedoya as a player that will be a fixture for Nantes of Ligue 1 in our Preseason Power Rankings. Well, we have news coming out of the Philadelphia Union that Bedoya has just signed with the club as a Designated Player. Here are the details.

Just hours before the close of the 2016 MLS summer transfer window, the Philadelphia Union announced one of the biggest moves made by any MLS club this year, signing USMNT midfielder Alejandro Bedoya from French club Nantes.

Deal is done. League source tells me final transfer fee on Bedoya is $1M, & final salary # is $1M/year. #DOOP

The transaction involved the Union making a trade with the Chicago Fire, who held the top spot in the Allocation Ranking, the player acquisition mechanism by which Bedoya entered the league.

The Union traded General Allocation Money, Targeted Allocation Money, the club’s natural 1st Round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and the Discovery Priority on a player to be named later in exchange for the No. 1 Allocation Ranking spot.

“We have laid out very specific goals for our club this season and Alejandro adds the type of quality that can instantly guide us in achieving them,” said Union Sporting Director Earnie Stewart. “He’s a tremendous player in the prime of his career and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the club.”

Breakdown: Fire receiving $100k in General Allocation, $75k in Targeted from Philly.

Transaction: Philadelphia Union acquire Alejandro Bedoya as a Designated Player on Aug. 3, 2016 and will be added to the Union’s roster upon receipt of his ITC. The Union acquired Bedoya via the Allocation Process after the club secured the #1 spot in the Allocation Ranking Order in a trade with the Chicago Fire. The Union traded General Allocation Money, Targeted Allocation Money, the club’s natural first round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft Pick, and the Discovery Priority on a player to be named later in exchange for the #1 spot.

Perhaps the Philadelphia Union saw through this and interpreted the tweet as an appeal to get him to the league. Well, Ale, you got your wish. Welcome to Major League Soccer. Now, the next question for you is this: can you doop?

Jo-Ryan Salazar is a writer for The Stoppage Time, a soccer blog powered by Azteca Soccer. A supporter of the Los Angeles Galaxy since 1996 and a committed supporter since 2002, Jo-Ryan also follows Chelsea FC, Melbourne Victory, FC Tokyo and Paris Saint-Germain. Apart from soccer, Jo-Ryan is an administrative assistant for a local nonprofit in Long Beach, California and also does photography, photo-editing and fictional writing.